Automatic cabinet-bid support



.F.'L. CASPER. AUTOMATIC CABINET U0 SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20, I919.

Patented July 22, 1919.

INVENTOR. F74 7M 1:. Casper A TTORNE Y.

THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 60.. wAsmNG'rpN. n. c.

. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQ.

FRANK I1. CASPER, OF HOWE CAVE, NEW YORK.

AUTOMATIC CABINET-LID SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 22, 1919.

Application filed February 20, 1919. Serial No. 278,135.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK L. CAsrER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Howe Cave, in the county of Schoharie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Cabinet-Lid Supports, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to lid supports and more particularly to an improved device for supporting the hingedly mounted lid of a phonograph cabinet. i

An object of the invention is to provide an improved device of this character, adapted to operate for holding the lid in either open. or closed position without any undue strain occurring on the lid so that warping or distortion of the lid is prevented.

A further object of the invention is to provide a support of this character attached so that the lid will be practically self supporting until it is near the closed position and which can be moved easily in either direction and which will so operate as to cause a slight downward pull on the lid for maintaining it in closed position.

The invention further aims to provide an attachment of this character which will be easily and quickly adjustable so that the desired tension may be maintained on the movable parts.

The above and additional objects are accomplished by such means as are illustrated in the preferred embodiment and in the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, in which Figure 1 is a vertical fragmentary section through a phonograph cabinet showing the invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1. a i

Fig. 3 is a detail section of the operating lever.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the spring adjusting element and Fig. 5 isa detail section through the sliding gripping element for adjusting the tension of the spring.

Referring to the drawings wherein is illustrated the preferred form of my invene tion, in which like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, the cabinet 1 is provided with the hinged lid 2 which is provided with the hinge as at 3 so thatthe, lid may be swung to open or closed position in the usual manner. The platform 4 within the cabinet is provided with a slot 5 through which the connecting arm 6 is extended. One end of the connecting arm 6 is joined by means of an attaching plate 7 to the lid 2. The attaching plate 7 is provided with fastening elements 8 whereby the plate is held to the lid, and the plate carries a pin 9 upon which is received one end of the arm 6 as shown. Below the platform 4 and fixed to the side wall of the cabinet is a bracket 10 held in position by the fastening elements 11 and provided with a pivot pin 12 upon which is pivotally mounted the operating lever 13. This lever, it will benoted, has a straight end 14 and a hooked or curved end 15. The terminal of the end 14 is joined by means of a pin 16 to the lower end of the arm 6 so that when the lever is swung on its pivot 12 the arm 6 will be forced upwardly and the lid will be thrown to open position as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1.

The curved end of the lever is enlarged to form the flange 17 shown in detail in Fig. 2 and this flange is offset with respect to the straight portion of the lever and has its edge provided with a groove 18, which follows the curve in the flange and it will be noted that the free end 19 of the flangeis directed toward the pivot 12 so that the endmost portion has a sharper curve than occurs at the opposite end of the flange portion. The inner end of the groove communicates with an opening 20 which extends through the flange l7 and which is adapted to receive the end of the operating cable 21. The end of the cable is extended through the opening 20 and is knotted or otherwise secured 'against withdrawal and it is then trained through the groove 18 and around the end 19 of the flange and has its ends secured to the coil tension spring 22.

Fixed to the front wall of the cabinet is a rod 23, the same having a looped end 24 through which a fastening member 25 is extended, whereby the rod is held rigidly in position. The rod 23 is disposed at an angle as shown and has mounted thereon a longitudinally adjustable plate 26. One end of the plate is provided with an angularly extending opening 27 through. which the rod 23 is extended and the opposite end of the plate is provided with a straight opening 26 through which the hook member 29 is extended, one end of which is provided with a loop 30 for receiving the adjacent end of the tension spring 22. It will be noted that out the use of screw threaded elements or similar means. It will be noted that the plate 26 is held at an angle with respect to the rod 23 by virtue of the angularly disposed opening 27 through which the rod is extended. Consequently the constant pull exerted by the spring will cause the latter to bind against the rod 23 and be firmly held in whatever position it is placed. The plate may be readily slid or moved on the rod 23, however, to obtain the desired adjustment of the tension of the spring, but will immediately exert the necessary binding action to retain it in position, by virtue of the tug exerted by the spring, when the plate is released by the operator. The adjustment may be quickly and easily made and inasmuch as the proper tension of the spring is an important element in the operation of the device, the advantage of the simple arrangement will be readily apparent.

l/Vhen the cover is closed, the apparatus is in the position shown by full lines in Fig. 1 and it will be noted that the cable 21 is above the pivot 12 so that a forward pull is ex erted on the upper end of the operating lever thereby causing a downward pull at the opposite end of the lever which is exerted on the connecting arm 6, thereby holding the cover in closed position. To open the cover, the operator will lift the same in the usual manner until it is raised one or two inches and this will cause the arm 6 to pull the lower end of the lever 13 upwardly and consequently the upper end of the lever will move downwardly and as soon as the cable passes below the pivot 12, the spring will exert the necessary tug on the curved end of the lever 13 to swing the same quickly around and thereby force the arm 6 up wardy to throw the lid to open position. A limiting pin 31 is mounted in the side of the cabinet to engage the arm 6 so that the upward swinging movement is limited. During this turning movement of the lever 13 the cable is being drawn from the groove 18 in the curved end of the lever so that the cable is always pulling on the lever at a point farther from its pivot 12 than would be possible if the cable were secured to the end 19, this being illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The continued pulling of the cable around the curved end of the operating lever when the lid is being opened, causes the point from which the lever is being pulled by the cable 21 to be constantly changing. This is especially advantageous when the lid is being closed for the reason that the cable passing through the groove and around the end 19 of the flange 17 will not pass the pivot 12 of the lever until the lid is almost closed. WVhen the operator grasps the lid to pull it downwardly to closed'position, it will be found that only a very slight pressure on the lid is required, and the lifting pressure is less perceptible as the lid approaches its closed position. When within approximately one inch of its closed position, the cable will be just passing the pivot 12 whereupon a decided pull will be given to the lid so that it is firmly but gently urged into closed position.

The foregoing description and accompanying drawings have reference to what might be considered to be the approved or preferred form of my invention. I desire it to be understood that I may make such changes in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts, materials, dimensions, et cetera, as may prove expedient and fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to se cure by Letters Patent, is

1. A support for a hingedly mounted cabinet lid, comprising a pivoted lever having a straight end and a curved end, means attached to the straigl'it end and to the lid for raising the lid when the lever is swung on its pivot, and a flexible element attached to and extended around the curved end of the lever to exert atug on the same whereby either an upward or a downward pull is ex erted on the said first mentioned means to maintain the said lid in either open or closed position.

2. A support for a hingedly mounted cabinet lid, comprising a lever pivotally mounted and having a straight end and a curved end, an arm connecting the said lid with the straight end of the lever, a tension spring provided with means extending around the curved end of the lever, and

means to hold one end of the spring to maintain the latter under tension to exert a pull on the said curved end of the lever.

3. A support for a hingedly mounted cabinet lid comprising a lever pivotally mounted and having a straight end and a curved end, the latter being provided with a curved flange, an arm joined to the straight end of the lever and to the said lid to cause the said lid to move when the lever is swung on its pivot, a tension spring, a flexible element joined to oneend of the spring and trained around the said curved flange from one end of the lever, and means to adjustably hold the opposite end of the said spring.

- 4. A support for a hingedly mounted cabinet lid, comprising a pivotally mounted lever having a straight end and a curved end, an arm connecting the lid with the straight end of the lever, the said curved end of the lever having a groove conforming to the said curve the lever, and having its end opened at the end of the lever, a flexible element fixed to the lever and trained through the said groove to extend from one end of the lever, and a tensioning element fixed to the said flexible element and normally urging a tug to be exerted on the said flexible element to exert a downward pull on the said arm when the cover is closed, and to exert an upward thrust on the said arm when the cover is opened.

5. A support for a hingedly mounted cabinet lid, comprising a pivoted lever, an arm connecting one end of the lever with the said lid, a rtensioning element having a flexible member attached thereto and connected to one end of the said lever the latter having its end curved whereby the said flexible element will be disposed above the pivot point of the lever when the said curved end of the lever is in its uppermost position whereby the opposite end of the lever will exert a downward pull on the said arm to maintain the cover in a closed position.

6. A support for a hingedly mounted cabinet lid, comprising a tensioning spring, means connected to the tensioning spring, to exert a downward pull or an upward thrust on the said lid when it is ineither closed or open position, a plate fixed to one end of the tensioning spring, an angularly disposed red, the said plate having an angular opening toreceive the said rod whereby the said plate is disposed at an angle with respect to the said rod to cause a binding action to occur on the said rod when the spring exerts a pull on the said plate.

7. A support for a hingedly mounted cabinet lid adapted to be raised and lowered, comprising a connecting arm joined to the cabinet lid and adapted to be suspended vertically therefrom when the cabinet lid is closed, a pivotally mounted operating lever having one end fixed to the lower end of the said connecting arm and having its opposite end curved, the terminal of the curved portion being directed toward the pivot point of the operating lever, and resilient means including a flexible element fixed to and extending around the said curved end of the operating lever and extended from the said inwardly directed terminal of the said curved end of the lever to lie normally slightly above the pivot point of the operating lever when they maintain the cabinet lid in a closed position.

8. A support for a hingedly mounted cabinet lid adapted to be raised and lowered, comprising a connecting arm joined to the cabinet lid and adapted to be suspended vertically therefrom when the cabinet lid is closed, a pivotally mounted operating lever having one end fixed to the lower end ofthe said connecting arm and having its opposite end curved, the terminal of the curved portion being directed toward the pivot point of the operating lever, and adjustable resilient means including a flexible element fixed to and extending around the said curved end of the operating lever and extended from the said inwardly directed terminal of the said curved end of the lever to lie normally slightly above the pivot point of the operating lever when they maintain the cabinet lid in a closed position.

9. A support for a hingedly mounted cabinet lid comprising a connecting arm pivotally connected to the cabinet lid, an operating'lever pivotally mounted and having a straight portion extending from its pivot point and connected to one end of the said connecting arm, the opposite end of the operating lever being curved and having a groove conforming to the curve of,

the said end of the lever, the terminal of the curved portion being directed toward the pivot point of the lever, a flexible cable fixed in the said groove at a point spaced from the terminal of the groove, the said cable adapted to extend over and from the terminal of the curved portion of the lever, and an adjustable spring connected to the said cable.

10. The combination with a cabinet having a hingedly mounted cabinet lid, of a connecting arm and an operating lever pivotally connected together and joined to the said lid, a spring attached to the operating lever, and means fixed to the cabinet and connected to the spring to be longitudinally adjustable for varying the tension of the said spring whereby the pull of the spring on the said lever may be varied, the tension of the said spring also acting to maintain the said means in adjusted osition.

In testimony whereof I a%x my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK L. CASPER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

